Poetry

Poets utilize and refine language techniques in unique and often interesting ways. Poets
have a way of telling an ordinary story in an extraordinary way through the exemplary use of
language. In the poem Ariel, Sylvia Plath does exactly that. She uses figurative language to
explore the various themes that she wishes to communicate with her audience. The poem
explores the themes of death, gender, liberation, and rebirth. The poet employs vivid imagery to
describe the emotions associated with the deep themes that she explores. She also employs a
reminiscent tone that helps communicate the feelings of disdain and grief. Similarly, in White
Dwarfs, Michael Ondaatje uniquely synthesizes the themes in his poem. He makes use of
imagery by creating an association between the different images to create a metaphoric
representation. Ondaatje and Plath demonstrate how poetry can be used to develop different
themes in the same way through imagery and tone.
Ondaatje uses tightly constructed motif imagery to communicate to the audience. The
poet explores the theme of silence. Silence, he alludes, is the negation of the enemy against
language ad order in society. Silence has been given so much power, yet it refers to absence. The
poet uses metaphysical and physical spaces to convey the theme of silence. The poem is for the
“people who disappear.” The first sentence depicts the use of imagery. The speaker seeks to
speak to the people who disappear. Disappearance here alludes to those who do not say a thing.
The people whose presence can no longer be felt because it does not exist.
Further, the speaker uses imagery to describe the fear of dying without words. In lines
10-13, the speaker says, “there is my fear of no words words-of falling without words.” Here, the
poet talks of death. However, “falling” implies death and defeat. Through the speaker, the poet

explains the fear he harbors of having someone die without a word. In death, there is absence,
and so is silence. Here, the poet further develops his theme of silence by talking about the
finality of death. It is like death stamps silence, and one is no longer able to communicate. He
laments about silence because it is lonely. Further, the speaker talks about his heroes, those who
“sail to that perfect edge where there is no social fuel.” Here, the speaker talks about the silence
that is usually found in death. Communication is the social fuel. However, in death, there is
silence and thus no social fuel.
Similarly, Plath uses imagery to explore the theme of death and describe grief. In the
poem, Plath talks about her father’s death and the love of a daughter that she carries with her.
She also talks about the bitterness that she felt after her father died and abandoned her and her
mother. Her father’s death robbed her of her innocence. She uses imagery to describe the grief
and the feeling of emptiness. She uses dark imagery to let the audience into her grief. Through
the speaker, she says, “black sweet blood mouthful.” This creates a feeling of dread. It is sweet,
but there is blood. The grief is, however, not optional. She makes this clear when she writes,
“hails me through the air, flakes from my heels.” She is on a ride that she did not even want to be
on. The horse, just like her grief, has the power to carry her wherever it wants. Her feet are
falling apart because she is being forced to ride on a horse without her consent.
Ondaatje and Plath use the imagery in albeit different ways to develop their different
themes. The two poets artistically use this figure of speech to explain to the reader about silence
and death. Other than theme, they also employ tone to further share their feelings with the
audience. Plath employs a sad and melancholic tone. It is a tone of defeat. She has been robbed
of her innocence and is being forced to mourn and grieve, yet she feels unprepared for such deep
emotions. She writes, “the child’s cry Melts in the wall.” This is sad as the child cries and no one

hears. The sound of the cry does not even reach the other side because there is a wall blocking it.
Conversely, Ondaatje employs a sad tone to express the sadness associated with wanting to hear
someone speak but not being able to because they are silent. He rites, “we don’t hear him say,
say his pain.” This is a sad line showing the power of silence to rob people of the joy of sharing
their emotions.
Overall, Ondaatje and Plath explore themes using imagery and tone. The poets employ
the techniques differently and manage to communicate their message to the audience. They make
use of their artistic skills to communicate ordinary messages in a unique way. The poets
demonstrate their poetry skills and the freedom that poets enjoy to utilize and refine language in
ways that best help them explore the themes they intend to develop in their work.